Grand Canyon
Often described as Earth’s greatest geological showcase, this jaw-dropping ensemble of colorful rock layers, magnificent buttes, and shadowy side canyons is one of the world’s natural wonders, visited by millions of adventure-seekers each year.
This story was created for the Google Expeditions project by ePublishing Partners and AirPano, now available on Google Arts & Culture
What's in a name?
In Hopi, the language spoken by a Pueblo group in northern Arizona, it is 'Ongtupqa'; in Yavapai, spoken by a tribe in central and western Arizona, it is 'Wi:kaʼi:la'; in English, it is the 'Grand Canyon'.
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Looking after a National Park
Managed by a coalition of 3 tribes and three agencies of the U.S. government, the Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide, and over a mile deep.
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The Colorado River
It’s easy to see why the Rio Colorado got its name: Colorado means “colored red” in Spanish, and the river is red with the silt it carries down from the Rocky Mountains. The mighty Colorado River flows southwest 1,450 miles through 7 U.S. and 2 Mexican states before it reaches the Gulf of California.
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Whitewater rapids
On its way, in northwestern Arizona, it continues to carve the Grand Canyon, just as it has done for millions of years. Below the Grand Canyon, the whitewater rapids of the Colorado River widen into Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States, formed by Hoover Dam. There, nearly 90% of the river is redirected to irrigate California’s vast farmlands.
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Geological History
Geologists disagree about the actual age of the canyon—it could be anywhere from 5 million to 70 million years old. But in the colorfully ribboned walls of the Grand Canyon, you can observe billions of years of Earth’s history.
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Two geological forces contributed to the canyon’s formation: the uplifting of the Colorado Plateau, a 130,000-square-mile area spanning Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah, and the slow cut of the Colorado River and its tributaries through layers of rock.
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Supergroup Rocks
Layers of metamorphic and igneous rock known as the Vishnu Basement Rocks, exposed at the Inner Gorge’s bottom, are 2 billion years old! Above them are the Supergroup Rocks (seen here) and softer sedimentary rock from the Paleozoic Age.
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Volcanic Activity
At various times between 100,000 and 3 million years ago, volcanic activity deposited ash and lava over the area and added yet another dimension to the geologic sculpture. Geologists “read” such events in the rocks to determine their age.
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The Rocks
These coarse-grained sandstone beds were exposed as the river cut its way through. The stone’s distinctive reddish colors are produced by iron oxide and pink feldspar grains. Because the Grand Canyon’s soil is constantly baked by the sun, it becomes so hard that it can’t absorb rain, which tends to fall in torrents when it finally arrives.
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The few plants that grow here have shallow root systems that do little or nothing to hold the soil or water in place.
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River debris
This landscape is constantly rearranging itself, especially during the spring melts, which carry tons of snow from the Rockies. The riverbed is scoured by fast-moving debris, causing the river to widen and cut down deeper into the rock layers below.
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The Grand Canyon Skywalk
You can literally walk among the clouds at the Grand Canyon Skywalk. A horseshoe-shaped, cantilevered, steel-frame bridge lets visitors walk out beyond the canyon walls, suspended 4000 feet above the riverbed.
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On the Skywalk, the rim of the canyon is behind you and the canyon’s other side is miles in front of you. From the platform, you can gaze at Eagle Point, a place where a dip in the canyon’s ridge looks like an eagle with outstretched wings.
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On top of the Skywalk
You won’t see any visible cables or braces because the Skywalk rests on 8 large steel posts anchored into the limestone along the rim. Under your feet are 5 layers of ultra-clear glass that appear almost invisible.
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The controversy of the Skywalk
The Skywalk sits on Hualapai land and is owned by the tribe. Critics claim the businessmen who funded it have taken most of the attraction’s profits. Other consider it an eyesore that violates both sacred ground and the natural landscape.
Moqui (1875) by William Henry JacksonThe J. Paul Getty Museum
Native Americans
The Ancestral Puebloans were the first people to live in the Grand Canyon region. Archeologists estimate their emergence at about 1200 B.C.E.
[Hopi, Watching the Dancers] (1906) by Edward S. CurtisThe J. Paul Getty Museum
Other native cultures moved in, including the Cohonina, the ancestors of the Yuman, Havasupai, and Walapai peoples who inhabit the region today; the Sinagua, possible ancestors of the Hopi clans; and the Athabaskans, who migrated into the region from Canada.
By Dmitri KesselLIFE Photo Collection
All of these peoples inhabited this land long before Europeans arrived in the 16th century.
Theodore Roosevelt (1907 (printed 1913)) by Alvin Langdon CoburnSmithsonian's National Portrait Gallery
President Theodore Roosevelt
We have President Theodore Roosevelt to thank for the canyon’s federal protection. An avid hunter, outdoorsman and a committed conservationist, he established the Grand Canyon Game Preserve in 1906 and designated it a U.S. National Monument in 1908.
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Visiting the Grand Canyon
About 5 million visitors come to the Grand Canyon per year. The more popular and accessible South Rim is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The North Rim is generally open May to October.
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